


More Similar Than We Appear

by trulywicked



Category: Naruto
Genre: Good Orochimaru (Naruto), M/M, Naruto's Powers of Persuasion, Orochimaru Actually HAS a Heart, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, change of heart, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-10-25 20:10:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20730077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trulywicked/pseuds/trulywicked
Summary: Orochimaru abducts Naruto in an attempt to give Sasuke a challenge but becomes concerned for the blond boy when he comes down with a fever. Will the snake sannin be changed by Naruto? Only time will tell.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started this fic YEARS ago. But since I've been bitten by the Naruto bug once more, I decided to see if I can finish the fics that I still like from before. I'm doing some cleaning up here and there but the first two chapters will remain mostly as you might have seen them on AFF or FF. Those two chapters were originally posted in 2007 (sweet weeping Jesus I've been ficcing for a long time)
> 
> __  
Flashbacks will be written in underlined italics  


Naruto glared ruefully at the chains that held him.  _ Why _ he was in this situation was a bit of a mystery to him.  _ How  _ he'd come to be in this situation was easy though. It was a combination of a drunk peeping Toad Sage being chased by a bevy of bloodthirsty beauties, complete exhaustion from a day of hard training, and a certain snakey sannin. 

That's right, he'd been abducted by Orochimaru, not Akatsuki, hence his confusion as to why he was currently chained up. As far as Naruto was aware, he was useless to the evil Sasuke-stealing snake. At the thought of Sasuke being under Orochimaru's control, Naruto's glare turned vicious.

"My my Naruto-kun, who would have thought you could summon a glare so venomous."

The sibilant hiss came from the shadows and Naruto's glare intensified even further. "Show yourself you sick son of a bitch!"

Orochimaru chuckled as he stepped forward. "I do believe that glare could rival one of Sasuke-kun's."

"What the hell do you want with me you jackass faced butt monkey?! Abducting Sasuke wasn't enough for you?!"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow at the slur. "You certainly are creative with an insult Naruto-kun. Correct me if I'm wrong, but did Sasuke-kun not leave Konoha of his own free will?"

"That's debatable. He'd never have considered it if, one you'd never put that mark on him and, two you'd never sent your lapdogs to mock him."

"Hmm, well I certainly can't argue with that. It would appear that just one year with my old teammate has done wonders for your acquisition of knowledge Naruto-kun."

Naruto blinked. "Don't you mean my intelligence?"

"No. From what Kabuto managed to gather and what little I've heard from Sasuke-kun, I'm rather certain that you've always been intelligent. I believe that your ineptitude came from a simple lack of instruction."

Naruto's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Uh-huh riiight, sure you do. What is it that you want?"

"Such suspicion Naruto-kun. I assure you that one thing I will not do is lie to you. As for what I want, it's quite simple. Sasuke-kun has stopped progressing and he needs some kind of motivation to push him further. From Kabuto's information on you and Sasuke-kun, I know that the two of you push each other past your normal limits. Therefore, I believe that training the both of you will prevent Sasuke-kun's progression from stalling. This would benefit you as well Naruto-kun."

Naruto stared at Orochimaru in disbelief for a moment then exploded into laughter. "Pfft! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha y-you have got to be delusional if you think I'm going to help you train Sasuke just so you'll have a strong body to take over."

The laughter echoed in the cell as Orochimaru watched the youth in surprise. The last thing he expected was laughter. Insults, a flat no, a loud hell no, even immediate acceptance, all of those he'd have expected but laughter had not been on his list of possible reactions and truthfully, it made him feel more insulted than the worst slur Naruto could come up with. 

Naruto gradually stopped laughing and met Orochimaru’s eyes steadily. "Go find someone else to challenge the bastard because I don't want to help you."

Orochimaru swallowed his outrage at Naruto's laughter and smiled. "I think not Naruto-kun. You are the only one who will suffice and I'll be keeping you confined until you agree."

"So what should I look forward to? Torture? Experimentation? Starvation? Thirst?"

"Oh no Naruto-kun, I am not so cliché as that. You won't be starved or tortured. Kabuto will come down every day to feed you and give you water. I will simply wait you out; eventually you'll agree to train under me."

Orochimaru then left Naruto to his thoughts.

The boy sighed and closed his eyes to get some sleep.  _ 'You know, just once it'd be nice to have someone want to train me cause they see something in  _ me _ alone, not cause it'd benefit someone else or cause I remind them of someone.' _

\----------------------------------------------------------

"Good morning Naruto-kun."

Naruto opened his eyes to see Orochimaru standing in front of him. 

It had been a week since the snake had made his first offer and, true to his word, Kabuto had come three times daily and fed him by hand since Naruto's hands were chained to the walls. However, though the medic fed him, he never spoke to Naruto or touched him, or even met his eyes. Naruto was starving for attention, so much so that he was actually a bit glad to see Orochimaru. With the man in front of him now though, Naruto had to wonder what game the snake was playing. If he thought that just depriving Naruto of attention would get the blond to agree to help him then he was sorely mistaken.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as Orochimaru came closer. 

"So how are you feeling?"

"I doubt it matters to you."

"Oh you're wrong about that. Your health is of great importance to me. If you'll notice even your shackles don't chafe."

Naruto blinked as he realized that Orochimaru was right, the usual chafing and pain that shackles caused was missing.

"What the hell?"

"They are of a special design, intended to bind without causing any kind of damage. I had them created especially for you Naruto-kun."

"Aw I feel so honored...no wait, it's just indigestion."

Orochimaru chuckled. "I must say that you are quite entertaining."

"So what do you want this time? I can't believe you'd think that I've changed my mind."

"Of course not. I doubt that you're so weak-willed. I am simply here to keep you company."

"Uh-huh, pull the other one."

"I told you Naruto-Kun, I will not lie to you. I imagine you've been fed enough lies in your lifetime that you'll find a little honesty refreshing."

Naruto glanced away because the man had hit the nail on the head. 

Orochimaru smiled. "I see that I'm right. I wouldn't be surprised if my dear old teammate lied to you about the reason he trains you."

"Says I remind him of the fourth."

"Well you do look a great deal like him but that's only to be expected."

"What do you mean?"

Orochimaru blinked. "You don't know?"

"Don't know what?"

The snake sannin's indrawn breath was audible. "No one, not even Jiraya has told you about your parents?"

"I know they're dead that's all."

Orochimaru's jaw tightened. "That perverted bastard, even I am not so cruel."

"Oi! Don't insult ero-sennin!"

"Naruto-kun you cannot tell me you haven't asked Jiraya about your parents."

Naruto blinked and shrugged. "He said I wasn't ready to know."

Orochimaru’s lips twisted in a frown. "That is no excuse to keep knowledge of a child's family from them. I'm disappointed in Jiraya; I thought he'd learned that."

"What do you mean?"

Orochimaru came closer and ran a finger over Naruto's whisker marks and the boy had to fight to keep from turning into the soft touch.

"We are more alike than you think you and I, Naruto-kun."

"Have you lost what's left of your sanity? We're nothing alike!"

"No? We are both orphans who desired the Hokage post, who were shunned at a young age, who think in a nonlinear way and come up with new ways to utilize jutsu, who will do whatever is necessary to realize our dreams, and who were never accepted by Konoha. Are we truly so different, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto swallowed. "You made a couple mistakes in tense. I  _ desire _ to be Hokage, present tense and I  _ will _ be accepted by the village one day!"

"Do you truly believe that? You truly think that through effort you will make them see you as you alone?"

"Yes!"

Orochimaru examined Naruto's eyes and saw complete faith in his own abilities in the cerulean depths. "How can you manage to make them see you through effort when the council doesn't see you despite who your father is?"

"Who the heck is my father? How could his identity possibly change their opinions of me?!"

Orochimaru cupped Naruto's cheek. "Your father's name was Namikaze Minato but his name isn't as important as his title."

"And his title?"

"He was the Yondaime Hokage."

As that sank in, Naruto began shaking his head, slowly at first then violently. "No, no,  _ no _ ero-sennin wouldn't keep that from me! You're wrong, you  _ have _ to be!"

Orochimaru gazed at Naruto with uncharacteristic sympathy. "I am not. Recall what pictures you've seen of the Fourth and what Jiraya has said about you and the Fourth. You may not believe me but I...regret that this causes you pain."

"GET OUT!"

The snake sannin nodded, "I will leave for now but I will return, Naruto-kun."

Tears leaked out of the corner of Naruto's eyes as he thought of all the times that Jiraya, Tsunade, the Sandaime, and even Kakashi would seem to look through him and realized that they had been seeing the Yondaime.  _ 'Why did they keep it from me? Even Kakashi-sensei didn't tell me and he knows how much I needed to know about my family!' _ The sharp sting of betrayal made Naruto sag in his chains.

\----------------------------------------------------------

The pain of the betrayal sent Naruto spiraling into such a depression that he became ill and ran a high fever. 

A week after the revelation, Orochimaru stood in the cell and released the shackles. He lifted Naruto in his arms, marveling that such a vibrant, strong person had such a delicate frame, and carried the boy to the infirmary where Sasuke was treating a wound on his arm. 

The young Uchiha glanced at his sensei and his eyes widened at the sight of the man's blond burden. "The hell,” Sasuke's voice was a soft exclamation.

"I've been holding him here for two weeks in an attempt to convince him to train with you."

Sasuke snorted softly. "He'll starve to death before he'll agree to that. He'd never betray Konoha."

"Perhaps, perhaps not but for now he has a fever and needs to be tended to."

Orochimaru laid Naruto on an infirmary bed then, gathered supplies for treating a fever.

Sasuke watched closely. "He never gets sick."

"This was caused by his emotions spiraling out of control. It threw his chakra and immune system out of balance resulting in his body becoming vulnerable."

"Hn." Sasuke stood staring at Naruto intently for a few more moments before leaving the infirmary. 

Orochimaru's gaze followed the Uchiha, surprised at the boy showing so much concern.  _ 'Hmm it would appear that Sasuke-kun cares more for Naruto-kun than he likes to let on.' _ Setting that aside for the moment, he turned his attention back to the feverish blond.

\----------------------------------------------------------

Naruto's fever raged for three days and he became delirious, crying out unintelligibly and struggling against whoever was taking care of him. Only when he heard Sasuke's voice duing the other boy’s visits would Naruto calm marginally. 

Orochimaru was reaching his wits end, nothing was working to bring Naruto out of his fever and if it didn't break soon the boy would die. 

He decided to do something drastic. Going to a cabinet, he pulled out a special summoning scroll. As he prepared to break the seal on the scroll, bittersweet memories washed over him of the moment he'd been given it...

_ Orochimaru stood near the village's gate watching for one certain person and noting the number of lives falling to the Kyuubi's tails. A tall blond man walked over to him cradling an equally blond infant. "Orochimaru what are you doing here?" _

_ "I came to offer my help." _

_ "I thought you hated Konoha." _

_ "I do." _

_ "Then why..." _

_ "I do hate Konoha but you, you love this village and out of my feelings for you I am willing to set that aside to help you protect it." _

_ The blond man blinked then looked down at the tiny bundle in his arms. "I fear that your aid won't be enough. This beast was summoned by Uchiha Madara and has had its yin and yang separated. It is unstable and there is only one was to stop it." _

_ Orochimaru stared at the beautiful man before him in horrified comprehension. "No Minato, you can't be planning to..." _

_ "Yes I am. I will seal the fox's yin chakra into my son and the yang into a scroll that will reside with Jiraya." _

_ Orochimaru inhaled sharply and looked down at the baby. "Your son?" _

_ "Yes, Naruto. He will carry his mother's name to protect him from my enemies however." _

_ The snake sannin reached an unsteady hand to stroke the newborn's hair. "He deserves to know his father Minato." _

_ The Yondaime smiled sadly. "I wish there was another choice but," Minato's voice trailed off as he met Orochimaru's eyes in understanding, then he spoke again, "There is something you can do for me Orochimaru." _

_ "Name it." _

_ "First I know you will want to take him with you, don't. I want him to grow up in Konoha so that I can watch over him in the only way I'll be able to, through a stone face." _

_ Orochimaru bit back a protest and nodded. _

_ "Second," Minato handed Orochimaru a scroll, "That is to summon the scroll with the Kyuubi's yang chakra. I want it in your keeping and I want your word that you will never NEVER use it unless Naruto's life is in extreme danger. I know you will not go back on your word." _

_ Orochimaru swallowed thickly and his voice was raspy with restrained emotion when he spoke, "You have my word Minato." _

_ The blond Hokage smiled gently and reached his free hand up to cup Orochimaru's cheek. "Forgive me Orochi-kun, for not following you when you left." _

_ Orochimaru's hand covered Minato's. "I would never have expected it of you so there's nothing to forgive 'Nato. You are simply far too good a person to follow me, my darkness would have consumed you eventually." _

_ Minato glanced over his shoulder at the battle with the Kyuubi then turned back to Orochimaru. "I don't have much time but for one moment let me be selfish." _

_ He pulled Orochimaru's head down to his and claimed a swift passionate kiss from the pale man. they pulled apart when the Naruto fussed, a string of saliva stretching between their mouths, foreheads resting against each other. Blue eyes connected with gold. "Orochi-kun, ai shiteru." _

_ With those final words Minato pulled away and ran to the battleground, not hearing Orochimaru's whispered, "And I you." _

_ He watched as Gamabunta was summoned, as Minato performed the seal, as the fox fell, and finally as Minato crumpled to the ground protectively cradling Naruto. Orochimaru turned away and left, unaware of the single tear that fell down his cheek. _

Orochimaru's hand clenched on the scroll then relaxed. He unsealed it and summoned the scroll of Kyuubi's yang chakra. A smart-mouthed toad was fused into the scroll but before it could say anything Orochimaru pinned it with a lethal glare and motioned towards Naruto. 

The toad subsided and allowed the sannin to open the scroll.

He began to transfer the chakra from the scroll to Naruto in small increments, resting between each transfer and having Kabuto heal the damage the transfers did to Naruto's body. 

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the last of the chakra was sealed inside Naruto and the toad scroll disappeared. Orochimaru knew it was the calm before the storm and ordered Kabuto out and telling him to keep Sasuke out of the room. 

Suddenly Naruto began writhing on the bed and screaming in agony as the fox's chakra began reforming his organs and cellular structure. 

Orochimaru joined Naruto on the bed and clasped the boy to him tightly and sent his own chakra into the blond to siphon off some of the pain into himself. He ran his hand soothingly over Naruto's hair and hummed a lullaby to make the boy focus on him instead of the pain. 

For the next several hours Orochimaru took as much of Naruto's pain into himself as he could and did his best to distract the blond as his body changed. As Naruto calmed, he began to whimper and Orochimaru listened closely to what was said, clenching his jaw so tightly the teeth should have shattered as what Naruto revealed in his delirium infuriated the former Konoha nin. 

"No stop. Stop. No! It hurts, it hurts! Stop please stop. No more, stop!"

On and on it went a litany of pleading and begging that revealed the truth of just how sick Konoha's hatred had become. Sometimes Naruto would be begging a specific person and each name was noted in Orochimaru's memory to be dealt with later. Soon, though not soon enough for the angered sannin, the pain stopped, the fever broke and Naruto quieted and lay still. 

Orochimaru let go of the boy and went to get a cloth to wipe the sweat that covered Naruto's body, fresh clothes for the boy, and clean sheets for the bed. 

As he bathed and dressed Naruto and changed the bed sheets, he gathered his fury into a corner of his being and locked it away for the time being. Calm again, he laid Naruto down on the clean sheets, sat in a chair beside the bed, and gently stroked the boy's hair.  _ 'How can one so young, small, and delicate be so strong? He's suffered more than anyone should at the hands of that damn village yet he's determined to become its protector.' _

Orochimaru sighed and laid his head on the bed, letting his eyes close now that the danger to Naruto's life was over. Orochimaru's last thought before sleep claimed him was how proud Minato would be of his son.


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto groaned as light shone into his face waking him up. He cracked his eyes open a bit and turned his head to the side to see what time his bedside clock had, only to blink in surprise when he saw a sleeping Orochimaru.  _ 'That's right, snake face abducted me but why am I in a bed and not that holding cell?' _

Suddenly flashes of Orochimaru's revelation and being sick rushed through his mind and Naruto felt his ears flatten against his head.  _ 'Wait a minute...' _

_ Felt _ his ears  _ flatten _ ?! Naruto raised a hand to his ear and instead of a thick fleshy lobe he felt a thin furry triangle. Naruto became aware of something moving behind him and glanced down to see two golden tails sticking out from the bottom of his spine.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

Orochimaru jerked up from his slumber to see a spastic Naruto having a cow. "Naruto-kun?"

Naruto grabbed the sannin's shirt and jerked him forward. "What the hell kind of experiment did you do on me?!"

"None."

"Don't give me that! I have tails! TAILS! And furry ears!"

Orochimaru took a good look at Naruto then and saw a pair of golden furred fox ears with red tips and two matching tails waving in agitation behind the boy. The golden eyes blinked. "Hmm well that's an interesting side effect."

"Side effect of WHAT?! What the hell did you DO?!"

"Calm down Naruto-kun. I simply completed your seal."

"What do you mean  _ completed _ ?"

"You had but half of Kyuubi's chakra sealed within you; the Yin half to be precise. I merely sealed the other half, the Yang, into you."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched as he growled, "Then how did I get  _ these _ ," he gestured to his ears and tails.

"If I were to venture a guess I'd say they come from your body's natural adjustment to absorbing the large quantity of animalistic chakra."

"NATURAL?!"

The corner of Orochimaru's mouth twitched in amusement. The blond teen seemed not to notice that the only thing protecting his modesty was a pair of too big boxers that were slipping from his hips with each spastic movement.

"Yes Naruto-kun, natur-"

"NARUTO!"

Both the blond and the sannin turned to face the door as a frantic Sasuke burst in, Sharingan spinning, followed by a very disheveled Kabuto, who's mouth was bleeding. 

Sasuke pulled up short as the sight of an obviously healthy, nearly naked Naruto with fox ears and tails sitting in a bed flushed from yelling at Orochimaru. He stared at the blond and mentally strangled the desire to reach out and  _ touch _ .

Naruto looked over at Sasuke and tilted his head in question. "Bastard, what's wrong?"

Sasuke restored his 'I'm an unfeeling bastard' facade, his eyes fading back to their usual onyx, and hned. 

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Oh that's right, the Great Uchiha has no emotions so nothing  _ could _ be wrong."

"Hn, moron are you aware that you're a few movements away from being naked?"

"Huh?" Naruto looked down at himself and made a small eep as he grabbed the boxers and pulled them back up. "What the hell were you looking for asshole!"

"I see you've returned to you idiotic self. Trust a moron like you to nearly die from a cold."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I thought the commonly held wisdom was that idiots can't catch colds."

"There's an exception to every rule."

Kabuto looked between the two and said in a confused tone. "One would think you'd never fought at the Valley of the End."

Sasuke stiffened.

Naruto inhaled sharply and said, "Oh yeah, about that," he lunged at Sasuke and slugged him, "That's for being a bigger idiot than you say I am."

Sasuke wiped the trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth, "Feel better, deadlast?"

"I'm not gonna feel better until I drag your ass back to Konoha, bastard."

Orochimaru chuckled. "It will be quite difficult for you to do so held here as you are Naruto-kun." 

Naruto turned a miffed glare on the snake sannin, who smirked. 

"Also I would like to see you survive the villagers when they see your new accessories."

Naruto's ears, previously upright and perky, drooped for a moment as did his tails but they perked back up again as he grinned with determination. "If I can make myself look like a girl then I can hide ears and tails with a henge."

He brought his hands up in the hitsuji sign and tried to perform a henge, only to fly back from the force of his own chakra. Orochimaru caught his wrist before he crashed into the wall. Naruto’s eyes were huge with surprise and Orochimaru chuckled again. 

"It would appear as if your chakra is still settling into stable pathways. Until it does you will be unable to perform any jutsu. I believe that will afford me enough time to contain you again."

Naruto's ears and tails drooped again but the determined look remained. "I'll find a way free no matter how long it takes!"

Orochimaru just maintained his smirk. "Perhaps, perhaps not, Naruto-kun." He stood and motioned Sasuke and Kabuto out of the room. Sasuke gave Naruto one more glance before leaving and Orochimaru paused at the door. "Suppose you do escape, Naruto-kun, you would be forfeiting the best chance you have to convince Sasuke-kun to return to Konoha. As a side incentive, I could teach you how to make your ears shift back to human appearance and how to make your tails disappear," with those parting words Orochimaru left the room, the lock on the door snicking closed.

Naruto slumped down onto the bed as his current predicament slapped him upside the head. 

He had no use of his chakra, was being held captive by Orochimaru, Sasuke still had no intention of returning to Konoha, and even if he did escape with Sasuke in tow, his new features would be the equivalent of a death sentence in Konoha. He stared at the ceiling and mentally flipped through his options. Finally, he arrived at a decision. He would train alongside Sasuke and take advantage of Orochimaru's knowledge until they were both strong enough to slip out of the snake's grasp.  _ 'And maybe I can figure out how to get snakeface to leave Konoha alone.' _

Decision made, Naruto laid down to take a nap.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Orochimaru went to his chambers to relax after attempting to further Sasuke's training. He'd hoped that just having Naruto's presence here would motivate the Uchiha. It had to some extent, but he knew that to get the full potential out of him Naruto would have to be trained alongside Sasuke. 

The sannin lounged in his favorite chair and considered what to do with Naruto when the blond finally accepted his offer. He was not going to train Naruto in the exact same way or in the exact same arts as Sasuke, that would be more detrimental than beneficial to the Uchiha's training for a very simple reason. Naruto truly was a practical genius.

He had seen it when Naruto had fought against Kabuto. Mastering the final step to the Rasengan in the midst of battle was nothing to sneeze at. The fact that Naruto had learned the technique over the course of a month was nothing short of incredible. Add in the fact that Jiraiya wasn't the most diligent of teachers and Orochimaru knew that given a proper teacher Naruto would blow Sasuke out of the water powerwise.

Orochimaru lifted a glass of wine to his lips. Naruto's taijutsu was rather pathetic, which was only to be expected considering that Jiraiya had only been focusing on ninjutsu and how to dispel genjutsu. In addition, the boy’s chakra control was a disaster and his ability to split his focus was non-existent. 

The first thing that Orochimaru would work on with Naruto were the more mundane fundamentals of shinobi skills. He smirked as he thought of how Naruto would complain and scream at him when he began training.  _ 'This is going to be fun. _

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Sasuke stepped out of the bathroom, fresh and dripping from the shower, and contemplated the good fortune of Naruto being in Orochimaru's grasp.  _ 'If moron ever grows a brain and decides to play along with Orochimaru then it will be that much easier to put an end to that snake before he tries to take my body over.' _ The Uchiha chuckled as he thought of how irritated Naruto would be when he finally accepted that he had no way out of the snake sannin's clutches as of yet.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Naruto looked over at Kabuto when the medic came in to leave some food and water. "Oi Jackass, where's the snake?"

Kabuto raised an eyebrow in question and Naruto rolled his eyes. "I want to talk to him duh."

"Hmm. I will inform Lord Orochimaru."

He snorted as the medic left the room, then got up and set about knotting a sheet around himself so he'd be at least slightly decently covered when Orochimaru came in. It wasn't long before the door opened and the sannin walked in eyes gleaming with amusement at the toga the blond wore. "You wanted to see me Naruto-kun?"

Naruto folded his arms over his chest. "I'll train under you but I'm never going to stop trying to convince Sasuke to give your pasty ass the heave-ho and I will  _ not _ , under any circumstances, be directly involved with anything you do to harm Konoha, matter of fact if I catch a whiff of you planning any kind of attack on the Leaf I'll do everything I possibly can to stop you."

Orochimaru smiled. "I wasn't expecting anything otherwise but I do have a question for you, Naruto-kun."

"What?"

"Will you give me your word that you will not send any information about my various lairs or my troops as long as I train you?"

Naruto frowned, thought it over, then nodded. "Alright. I promise that until I get home to Konoha, I won't send any intel regarding you to them."

"Excellent. Now I believe you could use some clothing yes?"

Naruto glared lightly at him. "Gee ya think. What did you do with my clothes?"

Orochimaru chuckled. "I disposed of your jumpsuit. It was far too bright for proper stealth. You will have to settle for a new outfit."

"Damn. I want a little orange on it."

"Why are you so fond of that color?"

Naruto looked away. "I have my reasons. So do I get a little orange or not?"

Orochimaru frowned in curiosity at Naruto's avoidance of the question but let it go for now. "Very well. Follow me."

Naruto trailed after him through a maze of hallways until they arrived at an open doorway. Orochimaru waved Naruto into the room and smirked as the blond gawked at the number of weaponry and clothing in the room, the majority of which was black. "When I appropriated Rice country the main military village had quite a number of shops with shinobi appropriate apparel. It seemed a waste to leave it in a burning city."

Naruto frowned and looked over his shoulder at him. "What about the people?"

Orochimaru blinked and felt a small shudder run through him. In that one moment the boy before him looked and sounded so much like Minato that he felt a small phantom pain in his heart. He cleared his throat. "Those who I felt would be useful, the craftsmen and builders, were spared as were the children. The soldiers and the ones who opposed me were killed and their bodies left to burn with the city." 

Orochimaru's lips lifted in mild amusement at the disapproval in Naruto's expression. "Oh come now, Naruto-kun. Such tactics have long been staples in any leader's arsenal, including Sarutobi-sensei's. If you truly wish to be Hokage, you need to accept that you must commit and condone cold-blooded killing."

Naruto bit his lip and focused his gaze on a pair of black and gray camo pants with multiple pockets. He knew that being a shinobi was often a dirty job and killing was necessary but the scale that Orochimaru spoke of bothered him. Yet he also knew that Konoha had condoned similar actions, and that the Sandaime had ordered such acts. 

Naruto closed his eyes and asked himself if he would be able to do something like that.  _ 'If I knew that letting them live could endanger my important people could I kill a helpless person or even an entire family? Could I kill in cold-blood if it would protect what I hold precious?' _

He remembered his fight with Gaara and the answer came clearly. Back then, if Sasuke hadn't come and told him that Sakura was safe he would have killed the redhead. He would have suffered for it but he'd have done it and eventually come to terms with it. He opened his eyes and looked back at Orochimaru. "I don't like it. No matter how necessary it may be, I just don't like the thought of killing like that. But-"

"But?" Orochimaru’s voice was soft with curiosity.

"If I had to, if it was all that stood between what I love and destruction, then I could do it."

The sannin looked into the crystalline blue of Naruto's eyes and saw realization and acceptance of the fact that a ninja had to kill in cold blood occasionally.  _ 'He's just taken a large step forward.' _

The blond turned back to the pants and eyed them again before rummaging for some in his size. "So what around here has any orange?"

Orochimaru raised a brow at the way Naruto changed the subject and went over to where the arm guards and gloves were kept. He fished out a pair of long fingerless gloves in a dark orange and turned back to watch the Uzumaki rummage through the shirts.

"Man didn't they make any shirts that weren't tight and sleeveless?"

"Rice country gets quite hot and humid. The material is very light and specially woven to breathe and stretches quite a bit."

"So that's a no?"

A chuckle was Naruto's only answer and the blond grumbled as he pulled out a black shirt in his size. Then he looked around to see if he could find a jacket. After a few minutes of frustrated searching he managed to uncover a jacket similar to his old one except instead of orange and black it was black and gray, matching the pants. He also unearthed a pair of black ninja sandals. 

He turned to Orochimaru, who handed him the gloves. Naruto frowned for a moment then shrugged and slipped the gloves on, blinking in surprise at how comfortable they were. Then he headed behind a screen to change into the clothes. He muttered about the shirt as he wriggled into it then he slid the pants and jacket on.

When he walked out from behind the screen, Orochimaru stood there and held out a sound hitai-ate. "You'll need this for a while. Everyone knows of Sasuke-kun but you are an unfamiliar face. Until they grow accustomed to seeing you if you are not wearing a sound headband you'll be attacked."

Naruto took the hitai-ate, looked it over, and tied it around his thigh instead of his forehead, much to Orochimaru's amusement. He folded his arms across his chest again and looked up at the sannin. "Where's the stuff I had when you snatched me?"

"I felt that it would be best to leave your belongings in the clearing to foster the impression of capture."

"Impression, my ass."

The sannin chuckled yet again and led Naruto out of the equipment room to a small parlor. He waited for Naruto to sit down in a wingback chair before sitting opposite the blond. "I will be blunt Naruto-kun, until your chakra stabilizes there is no point in attempting to teach you any ninjutsu, genjutsu, or chakra exercises. Beginning tomorrow, our main focus will be building up your physical strength. You'll use gravity seals instead of traditional weights and I expect to see improvement in your speed, strength, and agility everyday.

“Once I feel your speed and agility are sufficient then I will begin teaching you a taijutsu style. You will also practice weapon basics, both accuracy when thrown and efficiency of use when held. When your chakra settles, then I'll add chakra control into the mix. You'll work on your body from dawn to dusk then work on your mind from dusk until you go to sleep. You won't be learning anything but the basics until I feel you've mastered them. Your early education was sadly lacking and all the pathetic idiots you had for sensei did you no good at all."

"Hey! Take that back. Not  _ all _ of my teachers have been lousy."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Naruto looked down at his hands. "Iruka-sensei was always trying to help me even though Kyuubi killed his parents. When he found out that I couldn't read because my early sensei would kick me out of class as soon as roll was taken, he took time out to teach me. He spent his free time teaching me how to throw weapons, do the academy basic jutsu, and the academy style of taijutsu. He'd take me out for ramen when I needed encouragement and nag me about doing homework and stuff." Naruto smiled fondly. "He's the closest thing to family I had for a long time, until Sasuke."

The sannin compressed his lips in surprise. It amazed him that Konoha had produced a person such as Naruto described. But then again, Konoha had also produced Minato. Orochimaru remembered the very first time he'd encountered the future Yondaime...

_ Orochimaru stood on top of the Sandaime's head and gazed out at the village as the people settled in for the night. The wind kicked up sending the strands of his long hair whipping around him. The wind had a slight bite to it and the pale man closed his eyes to savor it. Somehow he felt more alive when the wind caressed his skin. He heard a soft noise from behind him. His eyes snapped open and he whirled around, kunai held before him as he took a defensive stance. _

_ The intruder paused and studied him with light eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you." _

_ Orochimaru saw the moonlight glint off the intruder's headband and relaxed minisculely as he noted the leaf symbol. The voice was that of a young man, most likely a genin if the boy's height was any indication. The boy stepped further into the moonlight granting the older shinobi a clearer look at the intruding genin. His hair was pale, most likely blond or a silvery gray and his skin was slightly darker than most in Konoha. He kept approaching until he stood directly beside Orochimaru. He stood quietly for a moment allowing Orochimaru's curiosity to surface. Didn't this child know who he was? Didn't he know to avoid him as the rest of the village did? _

_ The boy spoke softly. "It's beautiful isn't it?" _

_ "..." _

_ The boy turned to look up at the pale man. "Why does it make you sad?" _

_ Orochimaru blinked in surprise, how had this boy seen his mood so easily? _

_ "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I just wondered." _

_ "Boy do you have any idea who I am?" _

_ The genin smiled gently. "Of course Orochimaru-dono." _

_ "Then why are you here? If you wish me to teach you anything I won't." _

_ The boy blinked and the smile faded. "You don't think I might just like to get to know you?" _

_ The older shinobi sneered. "There isn't a person in this village that wishes to know me, I sincerely doubt you are any different, boy." _

_ A small spark lit in the light eyes and the boy turned to fully face him. "Well, I am. This village is a family and no one in a family should be made to feel as if no one wants them around. I'll show you that not everyone has a selfish agenda Orochimaru-dono. I'll become your friend, even if you'd rather I just leave you to wallow in your gloom." _

_ Orochimaru blinked in surprise then snorted. "I will believe that when I see proof, boy." _

_ "My name is Namikaze Minato and I'll give you your proof." _

_ Orochimaru's lips tilted in amusement. "If nothing else Namikaze your efforts will be...entertaining but futile." _

_ The boy huffed and began walking away. "I'll see you tomorrow Orochimaru-dono and every day after that I don't have a mission outside the village." _

_ Orochimaru watched as the boy disappeared into the night and chuckled. It was quite surprising to find someone who didn't seem to be intimidated by his appearance or reputation. It was also a rare occurrence for anyone to challenge him in anything. 'What an odd boy.' _

A pair of fingers snapping in his face drew the sannin out of his memory and he looked into eyes that looked so much like Minato's it stung some long dead part of the snake sannin. 

Naruto was frowning in consternation. "You looked as if you ate something funny and I even used your name to get your attention. What were you thinking about?"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "Now why would you wish to know?"

The blond shrugged. "You looked more like someone with a soul than an evil heartless bastard. I'm kinda curious about what could actually do that."

"You're very blunt, Naruto-kun."

"You said it yourself. I've had enough lies fed to me to last a lifetime. I don't need to add my own bullshit into the mix."

"Very true. As to what I was thinking about, I was remembering an old...friend."

Naruto tilted his head. "You mean lover don't you?"

Orochimaru blinked at the insight. "Blunt and perceptive, you certainly are your parents' son."

Naruto eyed him warily. "Is that a compliment or an insult?"

"Just an observation, Naruto-kun. Now back to our previous discussion. You'll begin your training tomorrow and while training you  _ will _ address me as sensei. You can call me anything you like in complaints off the clock but when you speak to me I expect to be given the proper respect."

Naruto met the steely golden eyes and nodded. "You have my word."

"Good. I'll show you to your room and I suggest you get a good night's rest. Beginning tomorrow rest will be just a fond memory for you."

Naruto felt a chill wash over him at the mildly sadistic expression on the sannin's face.  _ 'What have I gotten myself into now?' _


	3. Chapter 3

Naruto's ears were pinned back against his head and his tail was thrashing in agitation as he hauled himself up over the top of the obstacle course wall, the gravity seals doing their best to send him plummeting to the ground. His chakra hadn't settled in the two weeks he'd been in training hell. 

As he descended the wall he snorted.  _ 'Training hah! Torture more like. Who the hell ever heard of this kind of fucking training?! _ '

What kind of training was Naruto going through? Well along with the normal work-out exercises, push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, squats (gods how he hated squats), lunges, free-weights and the like, he also went through what Orochimaru called terrain training.

Several specially modified rooms in the compound mimicked every type of terrain that existed. 

Lava fields, mountains, rock and sand desert, swamp, jungle, savanna, and tundra among others. Every day he was told to navigate a different terrain within a specific time period with just the barest essentials. Each type of terrain had its own challenges and one of Naruto's biggest pains in the ass was the tundra. He had to wade through hip deep snow with just some water, the clothes on his back, a couple kunai and some ninja wire.

After the terrain training, without any chance to rest, he had to run the obstacle course from hell. 

The wall he was currently descending was the last of the obstacles and once he hit the ground he'd be given an hour to rest and eat followed by taijutsu and weapons training until sundown. Then it was dinner and studying jutsu theory, chakra theory, psychology, world history, physics, and politics. By the time Naruto went to bed both his body and brain were so tired he dropped off into sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow and the nightmares that had been his constant companion for years actually left him alone.

The blond's feet finally touched earth and he decided to drop to the ground on his back and stare at the sky. A highly amused chuckle came from his right. "Well done Naruto-kun. You've brought your time up by thirty minutes. Perhaps I should add something to our regimen."

The Uzumaki summoned the energy to cast a mild glare over at Orochimaru. "I hate you."

The sannin just smiled at the lump of exhaustion that was Uzumaki Naruto. "Take your hour and eat. And remember if you're late coming back I'll cut your resting time in half tomorrow."

The blond flipped over onto his feet and staggered to retrieve his lunch. "You suck Orochimaru-sensei."

Orochimaru waved a hand dismissively, chuckling as Naruto cursed until he was out of sight. 

The snake summoner was actually rather impressed with Naruto's progress. The boy had easily doubled his endurance in the past two weeks. His taijutsu and weaponry skills had improved immensely as well. Even knowing that the boy was a practical genius that learned best by doing and being shown the process, he was surprised by how fast Naruto was improving. 

Orochimaru shook his head when he considered the deplorable mishandling of Naruto's potential. Had Konoha nurtured the boy as it did other children Naruto would have easily been able to at minimum stand equal to Sasuke if not crush him in a fight.

As for the boy's intellectual studies, though he wasn't progressing as quickly in them as he was in his physical training, he was growing admirably. Naruto was such an active person that it took him serious concentrated power of will to keep from jumping up from his reading every five minutes. He simply was not made for sitting still.

Orochimaru walked away to see how Sasuke was doing with his seal control exercises. Black brows rose halfway up the pasty forehead when he heard Sasuke snarl out a vicious curse. It was out of character for Sasuke to show that kind of strong emotion but since Naruto's arrival he’d been displaying how he felt more often. 

He stepped into the room Sasuke was practicing in and saw the reason for the foul language. Sasuke’s ‘wings’ had extended and become stuck again. It tended to happen often, though Sasuke was very close mouthed on the subject.

Orochimaru watched in silence as Sasuke breathed out his frustration and sat in a lotus position to try and utilize meditation breathing to coax his wings away. Before his eyes the wings began to shrink and shrivel, drawing back into Sasuke’s back and the curse seal started to recede. 

Sasuke  _ was _ more outwardly emotional since Naruto’s arrival but he was  _ also _ quicker to resolve his difficult emotions. His fury and frustration faded quicker and rather than giving in to his feelings of inadequacy when faced with a stronger opponent, he either outsmarted them or took it as a challenge to get better so he’d win the next time.

That translated to better control over the curse seal as it fed so strongly on negative emotions. Yes, he had made the right choice in bringing Naruto here and he looked forward to the first time the two boys faced off in a sparring match.

\-----------------------------

Naruto made a sound of frustration as he moved,  _ again _ , and felt the unpleasant sting of the tag stuck to his back as it reacted to the slight movement of him trying to re-adjust how he was sitting. 

Meditation was so far from being his strong point that it was ridiculous. He couldn’t stay still, couldn’t get his mind to stop racing, couldn’t even calm his breathing down. He sucked at it. Absolutely sucked at it.

Orochimaru wasn’t unsympathetic to Naruto’s frustration. Stillness came naturally to him but not to Naruto. That wasn’t surprising. Neither Minato nor Kushina had been still, restful people. Kushina had been a firestorm of emotion. All burn and snap and barely controlled destruction. And Minato, well Minato had been lightning in a bottle, controlled and contained but full of intensity that just hummed under his skin no matter how placid he appear on the outside.

It was only natural that their son would be restless as well. But to truly get control of the Kyuubi’s abilities and make his fox ears and tails disappear, Naruto needed to learn to meditate into stillness.

“What were you thinking about this time?” Orochimaru always asked that when Naruto moved enough to set the tag off and it usually resulted in answers that revealed events and people who had influenced Naruto into becoming who he was.

“...that I was hungry.” Naruto knew Orochimaru didn’t want that simple answer and would just wait him out for the rest. “It started with being hungry, then I thought about how I could really go for some ramen, and that made me think about Ichiraku and Old Man Teuchi and Ayame-chan.”

Naruto’s ears lowered a little. “They were the first people to really be nice to me. I was digging through the trash for something to eat and Ayame-chan saw me. Instead of chasing me off with a broom or a knife like everyone else always did, she grabbed me and dragged me into the ramen stand and made me sit while Teuchi-jiji made me a bowl of miso ramen. He told me I could always come to his place for food and if I didn’t have enough money to pay for it I could wash the dishes in exchange for a meal. He even gave me a free bowl whenever I did something good like pass a test. Said hard work deserved to be rewarded.”

Orochimaru’s jaw tensed. Not over the Ichiraku owners but over the fact that before them, Naruto had been reduced to rummaging through garbage to find food. Just what had Sarutobi-sensei been doing while the boy had been starving? This... _ this _ was why he hated Konoha so much. Anything different, anything strange was belittled and abused despite never doing anything wrong. It was honestly a miracle that clans such as the Uchiha, Hyuga, Aburame, and Inuzuka had maintained such a secure place for themselves in Konoha.

“I miss them,” Naruto’s voice was quiet. “I miss them and I can’t help but think they’d be disappointed that I’m here.”

‘Ah. There it is. He’s guilty about accepting training from me. In his own way, Naruto is just as insecure as Sasuke.’ Orochimaru leaned down and peeled the tag off Naruto’s back. “I suppose they might. Or they might not. Does it help you in any way to imagine the disappointment of anyone in Konoha over your decision to accept my training?”

“No,” Naruto muttered, “but tell that to my heart.”

“You imagine and fear the worst reactions from Konoha.” Orochimaru pulled Naruto to his feet with a gentle hand and passed the boy his shirt and jacket. “It’s understandable, you have faced difficult and painful rejections from the village all your life and to worry over what those you care for and have earned the respect of would do is natural and very human.”

Naruto pulled his jacket over the shirt, brows knitting as he looked at Orochimaru. “Not really helping, sensei.”

“Natural and human. When it begins to get overwhelming you might find it helps to remind yourself of why you accepted my offer. You didn’t accept for yourself and you’ve made your stance clear. You are here to save Sasuke and knowing Konoha as I do, they would forgive a multitude of sins to have him returned to them.” He laid his hand atop Naruto’s head, taking note of the way the boy leaned into the touch before coming back to his senses and pulling away. “As for your friends, those who care for you, if they truly do then wouldn’t they give anything so long as you’re alive and returned one day as well?”

Naruto glared at him. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“Doesn’t it?” Orochimaru smirked faintly.

“Not coming from you. You had Sandaime-jiji that cared about you, Anko-san, and I bet there were others. If you really believe it’s the ones who care about you that matter why did you break the laws, betray them, and leave Konoha instead of staying and fighting for a better life?”

Orochimaru breathed in sharply at the unexpected knife those words drove in. “You presume my life was unsatisfactory?”

“People don’t run away from a satisfied life. They run because they want something  _ more _ .” Naruto lifted his chin pugnaciously, ready to argue the point while challenging Orochimaru to deny it.

Once again reminded that Naruto was far from a fool, Orochimaru inclined his head in acceptance of Naruto’s point. “People also run away from pain and loss and everyone has a limit of how much pain and loss they can take.”

The combative look on Naruto’s face disappeared. He considered all he’d heard about Orochimaru from Ero-Sennin and Baa-chan and studied the face of his new sensei. “You were friends with Baa-chan’s fiancé.”

“I was, yes. I also depended on my team for far more than back-up. Tsunade left and Jiraiya followed.” He had been left alone in Konoha, in a village full of people who hated that someone so strange was so powerful. Sarutobi-sensei had been far too busy attending to his duties to make time for an old student. 

“You didn’t have anyone else?” Naruto knew that Anko hadn’t yet been Orochimaru’s student when Baa-chan had left.

“Just one person.”

“Who was it?”

“Your father.”

Naruto’s eyes went wide. “You were friends with my Tou-san?”

Orochimaru just looked at Naruto for a long,  _ long _ moment. He saw the instant Naruto recalled the conversation when he’d agreed to accept Orochimaru’s training in the constriction of pupils and the soft parting of lips in shock.

“Not friends. You were lovers.” Naruto’s brows drew down. “But...then why did you break the laws and leave? What happened?”

“Minato was presented with a choice that was not a choice. It only had one true outcome being who Minato was.” Orochimaru gestured to Naruto to follow him. He wound his way through the base to his quarters and went to a small chest. From it he took a framed photo and handed it to Naruto.

In the image Minato stood, a soft faced, redheaded woman cradled in his arms with laughing eyes turned over his shoulder at Orochimaru who was smiling quietly down at the future Yondaime, one pale hand running a blond side lock through his fingers.

“Minato fell in love with Kushina before he ever formed a bond with me. She was...a singular woman. When Minato began to have feelings for me as well as her she pried it out of him then arranged for all three of us to talk.” Orochimaru’s lips curved in a sad smile. “She told me that so long as I didn’t hurt him, she could share Minato with me but not to be offended that she’d rather not witness me anywhere near naked.”

Naruto made a choked sound of amusement, somehow he could see the woman in the photo saying exactly that. “Is she...”

“Your mother, Uzumaki Kushina, and Kyuubi’s jinchuuriki before you. I will explain that,” he said to Naruto’s sharp look up, “tomorrow. The council had mostly left her alone but their...discomfort with the fact that their greatest Hokage hopeful was in a polyamorus relationship with the ‘Snake’ and the jinchuuriki spurred them to give Minato an ultimatum. If he continued his ‘association’ with me they would contract a marriage to a Hyuga branch member infamous for his partner abuse for Kushina. Minato would have never let Kushina be married to a man who might hurt her.” 

And Orochimaru himself hadn’t been able to allow Minato to suffer over the choice. He had urged Minato to marry Kushina himself and immediately taken a mission away to Umi no Kuni to make the separation easier on Minato.

“Bastards.” Naruto hissed between his teeth. “When I get back I’m gonna find a way to stop those old cranks from doing crap like that anymore.” He understood now. One by one all of Orochimaru’s tethers had been snapped and taken away from him and he’d been disdained by the village for nothing but his  _ appearance _ . No wonder he’d spiraled into darkness.

“Perhaps you might be the one to succeed in that where others have failed.” Orochimaru considered Naruto and the boy’s talent for affecting the attitudes and outlook of others and decided it would be worth it to give him instruction on politics and diplomacy. If he failed in his own plans and plots, giving Naruto the tools to dismantle what the corrupt and prejudiced idiots of Konoha held most dear would suffice as vengeance.

“I damned well  _ will _ !” Naruto said fiercely before passing the photo back to Orochimaru. He understood exactly how important photos were for someone who had lost what was most precious to them.

Orochimaru didn’t put the photo back into the chest right away. “Go to the mess hall. It’s almost time for the evening meal.”

Naruto pursed his lips but nodded instead of arguing and left Orochimaru to his thoughts.

“Your son inherited the best and worst of both of you.” Orochimaru said to the photo. “Stubborn, willful, persuasive, and annoying optimistic.” He brushed his thumb over Minato’s face. “He thinks he can save me from myself.” His lips twitched. “Well it will be interesting to see who wins this battle of wills.”


End file.
